Drunk driver who steered Jaguar at crowd in Nelson motor camp seeks discharge without conviction

The Maitai Camp in Nelson where Timothy Rynd drove his vehicle at a crowd of people. Photo / Tracy Neal

After driving his silver Jaguar at a group of people in a motor camp, Timothy Rory Rynd headed out through the campground’s front gate and roared off down Nelson’s Maitai Valley Rd.

It set in motion a series of events that ended with Rynd being charged with driving in a dangerous manner, driving with excess breath alcohol and resisting police - all of which he pleaded guilty to in the Nelson District Court today.

A member of the public called the police around 10pm on October 18 this year to say a suspected drunk driver was at the Maitai Valley Camp.

The police summary of facts said Rynd had been driving his silver Jaguar around the camp and had crashed into a fence. He then aimed his car at a group of pedestrians at the camp, which forced them to flee and take shelter beneath a nearby embankment.

Rynd then left the camp, driving straight through the front fate. He was stopped soon after by the police in nearby Nile St.

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The police told Rynd he was under arrest for dangerous driving, but he denied he was and refused to get out of the car, despite being asked twice.

He then physically resisted being arrested by bracing himself inside the car, resulting in him having to be removed by force.

He was then taken to the Nelson Police Station where an evidential breath test was carried out. Rynd was found with just over three times the legal alcohol level, with a reading of 846 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath.

The legal limit for a driver aged over 20 is 250mcg.

The 58-year-old sought name suppression when he appeared in court today. His lawyer Josh Friend said he planned to seek a discharge without conviction and wanted name suppression to protect his chances of a job as a lecturer in the tertiary sector.

However, Judge Garry Barkle said the application for name suppression fell well short of the hardship threshold and denied the request. He also noted Rynd’s occupation on the charge sheet read “bartender.

“The reasons advanced is that he has, or intends to have, employment in the tertiary sector, that requires him to have standing as a fit and proper person,” Judge Barkle said.

He said nothing further was advanced in the application for name suppression, and that the “extreme hardship” test under the relevant section of the Criminal Procedure Act had not been met.

“The application fails and is well short of nearing that high bar,” Judge Barkle said.

Judge Barkle noted Rynd had appeared in court previously, before remanding him on bail through to March 5 next year to consider his application for a discharge without conviction.

Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.